Stats:Match 1 | Match 2 | Match 3 | Match 4 | Recap
Moorhead, Minn.-- The Cobbers won all four matches at the tournament in convincing three-game sweep fashion. After cruising past Susquehanna and Haverford on Saturday, Concordia was able to duplicate the feat against Catholic University and Neumann College on Sunday.
In the semifinal match against Catholic (30-17, 30-13, 31-29), Concordia once again showed off their balanced attack as four different Cobber hitters had at least four kills. Becca Shane led the way with 10 kills. She turned in a match reminiscent of last year's all-around performer, Amy Fitzner, as she finished with three digs, two service aces and one assist. Danielle Norby continues to show off her ability to give the Cobbers a strong threat from the outside. She had seven kills in 11 attack chances.
A pair of freshmen was at the controls of the Concordia offense against the Cardinals. Jill Hance had a match-high 18 assists to go along with four service aces. Teammate Anna Tinkham had 14 assists and five digs.
Emily Gilbertson was the defensive leader for Concordia in the first match of the second day of the tournament. She recorded a match-high eight digs.
The championship match was more of the same for Concordia. Despite being pushed in the opening game, the Cobbers settled in and swept Neumann 32-30, 30-17 and 30-22. Shane once again gave Concordia a devastating middle hitter. She had 14 kills and committed only one hitting error in 24 attack chances. Following the match she was named to the All-Tournament Team. She finished the invite with a team-high 43 kills. Surprisingly, she also led the team in service aces over the weekend with six.
Lindsay Sipma, who didn't figure in the day's opener against Catholic came back with a torrid match, finishing with eight kills and two assists.
The three-headed setting monster for Concordia all chipped in to propel the team to the win. Alyssa Dahl finished with a team-high 13 assists, while Hance and Tinkham both recorded 10 assists apiece.
Hance's overall skills impressed the opposing coaches over the four matches and she was named the Haverford Invitational Most Valuable Player. She had 43 assists over the four matches and a team-best 0.63 service aces per game average.
Concordia will return home to Moorhead and host UM-Morris in their home opener on Tuesday, September 6 at 7:00pm.
|